Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Sacre Coeur

With the rain holding, but a mist settling in, we decided we would brave it and explore the Montmartre area. With a history steeped in the early development of the arts in Paris it was always going to be a place I was interested in looking at. An artist we spoke to said that it was the light that makes the difference and which is what attracts artists to the area.
We caught a taxi up to Sacre Coeur working on the theory that with the church high on the hill, we could then meander our way down the "butte" and make an easier walk of it.
Sacre Coeur was well worth a visit for this mosaic lover. While photos were not allowed, there was a guide book available which has a lot of the works reproduced in it. The reproductions were much better quality than the post cards available, so at €5 it was a good purchase.
The church has a large number of mosaics within it, including the interior of the main dome. One of largest mosaics I have seen it really is spectacular. With the mosaic created in the 1900's there is a lot known about the artists which is quite unusual.
The church itself came about because two French business men made a promise that if France survived the Franco Prussian war, they would build a church to show their thanks. They kept that promise, and Sacre Coeur is the result.
21.10.2012